Shaler Journal category, Page 5
Team Friends announces new chapter, its first out of state, during annual fundraiser
A local nonprofit with four Western Pennsylvania chapters is following the yellow brick road to a new frontier — West Virginia. Supporters of Team Friends gathered Sept. 23 at Narcisi Winery in West Deer for its annual fundraiser. They spent the evening enjoying live music by Acoustic Union, wine tastings,...
Etna, Reserve should form regional police department, study finds
A state study recommends that Etna and Reserve form a regional police department, while also finding that doing so will cost each municipality more for police services. The Governor’s Center for Local Government Services at the state Department of Community and Economic Development prepared the report at the request of...
Shaler Area parents, residents pose questions, offer opinions on proposed reconfiguration
A proposed reconfiguration of the Shaler Area School District built around closing its elementary school has been met with a mixture of public support and opposition, along with questions and concerns. Superintendent Bryan O’Black took questions and comments from residents Monday at Shaler Area High School after giving a presentation...
Police searching for driver of vehicle stolen in Ross, crashed in Shaler
Police were looking for a person who fled after crashing a stolen vehicle Tuesday morning in Shaler. According to Ross police, its officers followed a stolen vehicle out of Ross into Shaler and tried to stop it on Mt. Royal Boulevard near the Shaler North Hills Library. Shaler police deployed...
North Hills gathers on World Peace Day, champions late nun’s mission for social justice
Community members gathered Sept. 21 in North Park for the 21st North Hills International Day of Peace celebration hosted by La Roche University and several local organizations. Sarah White, executive director of inclusion and belonging at La Roche, said the annual event is an important opportunity for friends and neighbors...
North Hills real estate transactions for the week of Sept. 28, 2025
Bellevue John Kopicko sold property at 188 Dakota Ave. to ARDR International LLC for $97,500. Ian Buchanan sold property at 310 Glaser Ave. to Charles and Elise Lyman for $315,000. Cassiopeia Investment Group Ltd. sold property at 640-642 Maryland Ave. to Olivia Anne Martin for $270,000. Chris Balouris sold property...
Owl good now: McCandless cop frees animal trapped in family’s badminton net
An officer from McCandless spent a recent morning performing an interesting rescue. Officer Todd Ray received a call that a great horned owl was trapped. “It was an unusual type of call. We never know what to expect,” Ray said. It was McCandless resident Janine Solomond’s dog, Gilligan, who found...
Shaler Area High School assistant principal starts work month ahead of formal hiring approval
The Shaler Area School Board approved hiring an assistant principal for the district’s high school about a month after he started working. While the district says it followed “standard protocol” in hiring the administrator, it’s a practice that should not be, says Melissa Melewsky, media law counsel for the Pennsylvania...
Millvale to celebrate 3 years of revamped Free Fridge and Pantry with costume giveaway
An upcoming celebration just got better. A birthday party for the Free Fridge and Pantry is being coupled with a Halloween costume giveaway from 4 to 6 p.m. Oct. 11 behind Millvale Community Library, 213 Grant Ave. The Millvale Free Fridge and Pantry is a year-round community resource in Millvale...
At the library: Here are some upcoming events at the Glenshaw, Millvale and Shaler North Hills facilities
GLENSHAW PUBLIC LIBRARY The Glenshaw Public Library, 1504 Butler Plank Road, Shaler, was established in 1895 and is known as the oldest free library west of the Alleghenies. Hours are 6 to 8 p.m. Mondays for a quilters meet-up, 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m....
North Hills real estate transactions for the week of Sept, 21, 2025
Bellevue Shelby Szakelyhidi sold property at 216 N Sprague Ave. to Stephen and Nicole Wecker for $240,000. Andrew Yeskatalas sold property at 113 N. Sprague Ave. to Eric and Joy Peters for $128,000. David Burton sold property at 690 Shade Ave. to Jathan Snavely for $172,500. Rising Water Enterprises LLC...
Shaler Area plan calls for closing elementary school, changing where some grades are housed
The Shaler Area School District has prepared a plan that calls for closing the district’s elementary school and changing where some grade levels are housed. The district announced Thursday that it will present the plan, called “Building for Tomorrow,” during a community forum beginning at 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 29,...
Sweet endeavor: Shaler Area grad falls into beekeeping, and now it’s helping to pay for college
Anthony Ondo’s love of beekeeping started as a good deed that soon became love at first sting. Now a junior at Chatham University’s Falk School of Sustainability studying sustainable business, the 22-year-old Shaler resident applies what he learns in his classes directly to his apiary business while using his profits...
Model railroad museum in Richland preps for holiday show as construction on addition continues
Construction of an addition to the Western Pennsylvania Model Railroad Museum in Richland won’t derail its holiday train show. The 37th annual show is slated to run from Nov. 8 to Jan. 11 at the museum on Route 910 at Lakeside Drive, museum President Ray Mueser said. Work will still...
Grist House brewery celebrates opening at former Cold War missile site
It wasn’t long after Brian Eaton and Kyle Mientkiewicz opened Grist House brewery in Millvale that they knew they would need additional space for production. As it turns out, a Cold War missile-command site in Collier fit the bill. Grist House celebrated a grand opening at the Nike site Sept....
Shaler Area School Board considers reduced scope of work for middle school
Building renovations at Shaler Area Middle School have been reduced in cost from more than $20 million to about $8.2 million over the next three years. While still replacing the school’s entire roof, HVAC work would be limited to replacing two or three of the units in the worst condition...
Annual Stitch-a-Thon raises $1,385.25 for Millvale Community Library
The stitches weren’t the only thing tight-knit as caring crafters convened for the third annual Stitch-a-Thon to raise money for the Millvale Community Library. The crafters gathered for five hours Sept. 6 under a canopy in the backyard shared by the library and Abeille Voyante Tea Co. to knit, crochet...
In brief: Happenings across the Shaler Journal area
Xxx Shaler is hosting its annual Fall Fest from 5 to 8 p.m. Oct. 4 in Kiwanis Park. There will be fun for all ages, including music by DJ Rick Wirth, pony rides, a petting zoo, bounce houses, face painting, a hay maze, activities with the Shaler North Hills Library....
Shaler girls volleyball making adjustments with eye on finishing season strong
Sophie Spynda faced the prospect of seeing a lot of new faces and personalities. After more than a month at Shaler, the 6-foot-2 junior middle blocker is getting used to life in a new school district. Spynda attended Allderdice last year. “It’s been kind of hard, coming in and not...
Momentum building for Shaler girls soccer
The Shaler girls soccer team kicked down the door to the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs last season after a 37-year absence. The Titans spent the early part of their follow-up campaign working toward besting their cameo appearance. Shaler has shown plenty of fight during its 4-1-1 start, including a 1-1...
North Hills real estate transactions for the week of Sept. 14, 2025
Bellevue Irina Tsybina sold property at 516 Division Ave. to Autumn Williams for $230,000. Daveen Gray sold property at 97 N Euclid Ave. to Roseburg Knoll LLC for $250,000. Gamal Ramadan sold property at 4401 Ohio River Blvd. to Ohio River Real Estate LLC for $815,000. Franklin Park Ruth Lestina...
Upcoming supper club fundraiser for refugee family to feature Guatemalan fare
Roxana’s Supper Club, featuring Guatemalan-style nachos, barbecue chicken and fried broccoli on Sept. 28 in McCandless, is more than a meal. It’s also a fundraiser to support a new refugee family as they settle into their new home in the United States. Roxana, a refugee from Guatemala who is here...
Shaler Area School District hires business manager from Fox Chapel Area
The Shaler Area School District has a new business manager. During a special voting meeting Wednesday, Sept. 10, the school board approved hiring Kimberly Pawlishak as director of finance and operations for a three-year term beginning on or about Dec. 10. Her salary was set at $140,000. Pawlishak is coming...
Intergenerational exchange of Adopt a Grandparent Storytime brings joy to seniors
At least one Thursday every month, any resident can be a grandparent at Ridgecrest of McCandless. And it’s all thanks to the Adopt a Grandparent Storytime, where people living at the personal care and memory care facility meet up with community members for singing, dancing and laughing. “This program is...
Goats tackle baa-d overgrowth in Shaler with such gusto, township is considering having them back in spring
When Shaler’s wooded recreational areas became overrun by invasive Japanese knotwood, authorities did the only thing they could do: They brought in some goats. After exploring chemical use and landscapers, township officials felt it was best to bring in two groups of hungry goats, dubbing them “seasonal employees.” The teams...
